Latchkey kids need to learn safety at home

By Duane Barbati

dbarbati@alamogordonews.com @DuaneBarbati on Twitter

Posted:
06/29/2013 04:51:19 PM MDT

Alamogordo Department of Public Safety officials realize parents are busy with work obligations, appointments and parenting their children, but they want to relay safety tips when leaving children alone at home.

"We all know this is an era of two parents working," Sgt. Tracy Corbett said. "The reality is they have to leave kids home alone. In Alamogordo, we don't have a specific age ordinance or law that dictates as far as leaving the kids home alone. There are certain things we take into consideration. I would say the magic age would be about 13 years old.

"There's no law but that's usually when a child is old enough to recognize dangerous situations and contact the necessary people in case of an emergency. It's not absolute, but that's a pretty good rule of thumb."

Corbett said she believes parents should use the three W's.

"Parents should know where their children are, what their doing and who they are doing it with," she said. "If parents are close with their neighbor, they can have the kids check in with that neighbor when they get home; or the trusted neighbor, relative or a friend can check on the kids at the home. The children should know how to call 911 in the event of an emergency and know how to give directions to their house -- especially in the newer neighborhoods. Parents should make sure they have some kind of emergency plan if they have a fire. Make sure the kids know how to get out of the house."

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Corbett said parents should discuss with their children knowledge about getting out of the house and calling 911, going to a neighbor's house to call 911 and access to a cellular telephone in case of emergencies.

"They should be able to know how the window latch works, and be able to latch and lock the doors," she said. "In the event they need to get out of the house in an emergency, they need to know how to unlock the windows and doors. If the house has an alarm system, make sure children know how to operate the alarm."

Corbett said parents should teach children to never let people in the house.

"Do not schedule things like maintenance at the house while the kids are alone," she said. "Parents should also teach their children that, if they receive a telephone call, to never tell the person on the other end that their parents are not home. They should just say their parents are not available and will have their to call them back later."

Corbett said parents should find a trusted person who can perform a surprise check on their children.

"Parents can tell their kids that the person may stop in," she said. "It encourages them to stay out of trouble. If parents do have their kids coming home when they're not home, then don't hide a key where everybody else knows where it's at. During the school year, parents can let the school know that their child is going to be home alone for a few hours."

Corbett said parents can use these safety tips all year long.

"It's more of an awareness for parents," she said. "Parents can leave their children home alone if they're mature enough or at the right age. It's not against the law to do it. With overnight trips for parents, they need to make sure children are mature enough to be left alone overnight. They just need to have somebody close enough to come over to the home in case of an emergency, if they're going to be out of town."

For more information about crime prevention or people wishing to start a Neighborhood Watch program, contact Corbett at 439-4300.